Kiki's Crossing

6.27.2015 Saturday It's the end. My last day in Chile. Five weeks later, it still feels like day one, like I have so much to see and do. However, my heart can't handle these emotions right now, so my toast to Chile and my reflections will have to wait until I'm back in the States. For now, here's how I spent my last days in Santiago. Wednesday night, I headed to Elfos, a restaurant bar, to watch Chile's match against Uruguay.  To continue Drink Week, I sipped on a mojito. It was yummy. The match proved to be a nail-biter. Yellow cards, two red cards, and a final score of 1-0, a point that wasn't won til late in the second half. Needless to say, when Chile scored their goal, the world went nuts.  At Elfos, we had a fairly large group, probably about 15-20 people, including Profe, my Spanish professor at MLC. There were plenty of laughs, cheers, and excellent conversations. And, of course, I took advantage of the opportunity to take more selfies with ...

6.24.2015 Wednesday I have two days of classes left. No. I refuse to accept this as fact. I just started this whole thing like yesterday, right? How can my flight be on Saturday? I still have so much to learn, to see, to say, to experience...  And, maybe that's why I have Peru. Looking back, I can't honestly tell you why I agreed to travel to Peru starting in August for nearly nine months. It's similar to how I really can't tell you how I ended up at MLC. It's kinda fuzzy... I can throw out a few basic reasons but it's not like there was some big over-arching "I HAVE TO DO THIS OR MY LIFE WILL BE INCOMPLETE!" moment. I think it's these memories, the hazy ones about life altering decisions, which demonstrate the times when God's holding our hand and leading us down the right path. Boy, am I sure glad he knows what he's doing. He definitely knew that my Chilean Adventure simply would not be enough to tame my restless soul. I've caught...

6.20.2015 Saturday Guys, I slept in this morning! It was absolutely glorious.  It actually wasn't even that late. Like 9:30! I'm such an adult. (The extra hour and a half I spent laying in my bed being a bum doesn't count.) Yesterday was a day of laughs and unusual encounters. In the afternoon, Elizabeth and I ventured to the Estacion Central (Central Station) via subway. This was our second time there, but we had to return because it's a marketplace that right now is stocked with extremely cheap soccer fan gear for the Copa America and I needed  wanted a jersey. I also found an artisan who makes hand carved key-chains for less than a buck fifty. A couple of the other girls at school had discovered him a few days earlier and recommended I visit if I wanted more personalized gifts. Obviously, I needed to buy more. Obviously.    Hold on. Gotta eat breakfast. Aaaaand, after toast with veal pâté (if you don't know what it is, it looks like dog food - yay pr...

6.18.2015 Thursday Finally, I have had a mellow week. After nearly a month of go-go-go, it's been slightly difficult to adjust to a life where I can return to mi casa every day immediately after classes. But, with being sick and a brain that's burning out from operating on overdrive, it's much appreciated. A low-key week is exactly what I need. Plus, it's a slightly more realistic insight into a life in Santiago. However, last weekend was still full of activities! (Shocker.) Friday, with my classmates, we hopped on the subway to venture to Los Dominicos, an artisan market in Santiago. The market was obviously more high-end than the other marketplaces I've visited. Merchandise was organized and not spilling out of the store, shop windows were tastefully arranged, and many goods were of high quality. But, Los Dominicos is a tourist trap and a rip off. In comparison to the U.S., for handmade gifts, it was still incredibly cheap. Still, there are much better dea...